Chapter Eleven: Heavenly Secrets

“As I mentioned before, although when we first arrived, we lagged behind the truly powerful mythological races, thanks to the world’s assistance, our progress has been nothing short of extraordinary compared to ordinary beings.”

At this point, the young man seemed a bit… unsure of how to articulate his thoughts, hesitating for a moment, perhaps brewing his words.

“You see, Miss Vilyric, the great battles between the mythological races did not occur until after we crossed over. In fact, it was exactly ten years after we began wandering this world that the ruins were finally unearthed.”

“In other words, the world’s consciousness foresaw this upheaval a full decade in advance and made plans accordingly. When we realized this, we were all left dumbfounded and gained a deeper understanding of that power’s… grandeur and omniscience.”

“Before that, we didn’t quite understand why the system panel classified certain specific formidable enemies into the extermination list. After all, many of them were merely holed up in their territories, not exactly saints, but they weren’t exactly out burning, looting, or pillaging either.”

“Only after the ruins appeared did we come to the shocking realization that these formidable mythological races, like the Evil Dragon and Demon… would inevitably join the opposing side in battle!”

“Seeing the future… perhaps?”

The words rolled off her tongue softly, and a glint flashed in Vilyric’s silver-blue eyes, but she said nothing more and just silently nodded.

Min Chen’s voice continued to echo.

“Following the directives from the system, we immediately threw ourselves into the fray, aligning ourselves with the dragon faction striving to maintain order, slaying numerous formidable foes and gradually gaining control over the situation. But just then… an unexpected force suddenly emerged.”

He didn’t immediately specify, merely letting his serious gaze drift towards the small cabin not far away where Sylvania resided. Vilyric, already aware of the details, quickly grasped his meaning.

“…The Twilight Council?”

“Yes, the Twilight Council.”

With evident apprehension at this name, the young man’s eyes narrowed slightly again, signalling towards the cabin.

“As you’ve seen, a half-demon like Sylvania shouldn’t be able to wield any power according to the world’s regulations, yet she managed to solve the problem by joining the Council and becoming a representative. The influence of this organization is truly far-reaching and shrouded in mystery. Even now, I still can’t fully grasp their true nature; I can only say I understand it half-heartedly.”

“The ‘Heavenly Deception’, huh…”

Withdrawing his gaze from afar, Min Chen continued narrating.

“The arrival of the Twilight Council was abrupt, perfectly timed at a critical moment when both sides were exhausted and on the verge of victory or defeat. Although actual representatives didn’t appear, their projections showed up using certain methods, catching us completely off guard.”

“It seems their goal was also to seize the remnants of the World-devouring Serpent Yggdrasil. In hindsight, it’s very likely that the sudden emergence of the ruins was also somehow manipulated by this organization.”

Even though it was an event from three hundred years ago, as Min Chen recounted it so thoroughly, Vilyric seemed to feel the urgency and pressure of that time, prompting her to inquire.

“So, did they succeed in the end?”

The young man shook his head.

“We owe it all to the mythological races recognizing the larger picture at the last moment and uniting against the external threat, along with the dragon race’s efforts.”

“Although I’m not entirely clear on the specifics, the White Emperor must have summoned the remaining strength of his entire race, seizing the opportunity created by several powers from the other faction to delay time, initiating a dragon’s incantation, and sealing the entire area of the ruins, along with all the enemies present, into another space. Only we few, due to our unique identities, were temporarily extracted by the White Emperor.”

“After this battle, nearly over ninety percent of the mythological races across the world fell or were sealed, leaving many strong clans in shambles, gradually disappearing from public view. Nowadays, perhaps only in certain deep forests can you still find a few surviving mythological beings, alas…”

“Ah, so that’s how it was…”

Slowly digesting the plethora of secrets Min Chen revealed, Vilyric pondered thoughtfully.

“Given that you and your companions haven’t returned to your original world, it implies that the task assigned by the World’s Will has still not been completed? If preventing the Twilight Council’s scheme three hundred years ago can’t be deemed a success, that means…”

“Yes, it implies—those trying to overthrow the world, casting all beings into destruction’s shadow, are still lurking in the dark, stirring restlessly. My decision to guard the ‘Phantom Realm’ is to prevent such occurrences, after all, you’ve seen the situation here, Miss Vilyric.”

“…Indeed, conspirators are everywhere.”

It’s not just the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons; during her time in the United Kingdom or the Kingdom of Azure, Vilyric had encountered similar forces, more or less.

For instance, the ‘Throne of Immortality’s’ collusion with the Second Prince of the United Kingdom to seize control of the kingdom. Although the Priestess hadn’t found a suitable moment to inquire, the fact that the Second Seat, Rebecca, was a representative of the Twilight Council indicated that there must be some secret connection between these two organizations.

Additionally, in the Abyss world, where the brief appearance of “Eibus” instigated a cataclysmic bombardment of Floating Island, while covertly gathering the Divine Spark powers of the Earth Goddess, those Pseudo-Gods were always under her watch, but they remained well-hidden, and she had yet to uncover more leads.

Perhaps these guys also share tangled ties with the Twilight Council, or even more disturbingly, they might be direct disguises of that very organization.

They seem to lurk behind the scenes, but their probing tentacles may have already stretched in all directions.

Aiming for something big, huh?

“How intriguing…”

A playful grin flickered at the corner of the black-haired girl’s mouth as she looked up at the Gatekeeper.

“There’s one more thing I want to ask you, Min Chen. Why were you and your companions so determined to explore the Phantom Realm? Was it for the sake of obtaining the God’s Spark of the Demon God?”

“Huh? Oh… was it Tiyelu who told you? Well, to say we had no desire to grow stronger or seek that so-called ‘God’ realm would be a lie.”

“But the trials left behind by the Demon God are incredibly harsh; according to that butterfly, it’s virtually impossible to pass under normal circumstances. Thus, while we had some associated thoughts, our primary purpose for venturing into the Phantom Realm was actually due to the new mainline task issued by the world’s will.”

“?”

Seeing the girl’s slightly bewildered expression, as if she couldn’t grasp what a “mainline task” meant, Min Chen gestured animatedly with his hands, drawing a square in front of him.

“As I mentioned earlier, although the world consciousness hasn’t contacted us since then, each of us was bestowed with a power called the ‘Panel’, which allows us to view our… um, combat capabilities in real-time and exchange resources. Most importantly, it lets us receive various tasks that come with rewards from the panel.”

“There are two types of tasks: the mainline that must be completed and the side quests that can be optionally undertaken. Generally speaking… the former’s rewards tend to be much richer. Before the ruins were unearthed, our mainline task was always vaguely described as ‘strengthen oneself and prepare for battle’. But after that great battle ended, the mainline task suddenly transformed into something else.”

Min Chen’s expression grew solemn as he slowly continued.

“Go to the roots of the World Tree and eliminate the ‘pests’ that are consuming there.”

   

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